Westworld co-creator Lisa Joy will join writer Alison Schapker and stars Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Luke Hemsworth, and Angela Sarafyan on a special closing night panel for this year’s ATX TV Festival. Taking place a few weeks before the highly-anticipated premiere of Season 4 on HBO and HBO Max, the panel will allow the cast and crew of the sci-fi show to discuss what fans can expect once we go back to Westworld’s dystopian future.
Created by writers Jonathan Nolan (Person of Interest) and Joy (Pushing Daisies), Westworld won the hearts of critics and the public with a deeply emotional story that asked tough questions about human nature and the exploration of artificial intelligence. Unfortunately, each subsequent season struggled to keep viewership and professional interest as the world expanded to the detriment of character growth. Even so, Westworld remains one of the most intriguing sci-fi series ever made, and with Season 4 premiering next month, the ATX TV Festival panel will help to entice fans' curiosity.
While Westworld's secrecy is usually higher than in most series, the upcoming panel might help fans understand the cryptic Season 4 trailer HBO released this week. Without dialogues or narration, the trailer only teases Season 4’s plot with a series of disturbing images involving lots of flies. Also, the new trailer teases the return of Wood to the show, even after her character arch as the revolutionary android Dolores seemingly came to an end in Season 3. It’s still unknown how Wood will be able to come back to the show without reversing the emotional impact of her demise, and if anyone is attending this year’s ATX TV Festival, please ask.
The main cast members returning for Season 4 of Westworld include Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, Thandiwe Newton, Luke Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Angela Sarafyan, and Aaron Paul. In addition, the upcoming season also added West Side Story’s star Ariana DeBose to its recurring cast. While plot details are still scarce, the forthcoming season should follow Maeve (Newton) and Caleb (Paul) as they keep fighting for the AI’s freedom, while the Man in Black (Harris) is back as the main villain.
Westworld is produced by Kilter Films and Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Executive producers include Nolan, Joy, Schapker, Denise Thé, J.J. Abrams, Athena Wickham, Richard J. Lewis, and Ben Stephenson.
The Westworld panel on ATX TV Festival will happen during the Closing Night Event on Saturday, June 4. The series comes back for Season 4 on HBO on June 26. You’ll also be able to stream it on HBO Max.